When educators and parents disagree on the provision of special education services for a child, the resulting conflict can stress an already stretched system to a breaking point. Facilitating the prevention and early resolution of disputes, especially as reports point to the rise of complaints and staffing issues, can alleviate some of that pressure. Proven strategies for early resolution allow educators and parents to engage in collaborative problem solving and preserve relationships.
CADRE has developed and curated several resources to help educators. Our Building Local-level Capacity landing page provides tools and supports district staff may find beneficial. The resource page guides leadership through assessment and planning considerations and includes
links to CADRE’s relevant resources.
Assessing the way your district works to build strong relationships with families can be the first step to building local-level capacity for early dispute resolution. Investing early in building working relationships based on trust with parents of students in your school can transform meetings into more positive experiences. Mutually satisfactory interactions can create a shared history to be drawn upon when disagreements and misunderstandings arise and reduce the likelihood of escalating conflict.
Imagine the benefits of having the time and space to find solutions to challenging situations. Situations for success in building strong family relationships can be found in CADRE’s Engaging Parents in Productive Partnerships. This resource covers how to maximize the effectiveness of meeting times, treat all attendees with respect, stay focused on the concern at hand, and effectively listen and show understanding.
When searching for effective professional development, consider two of CADRE’s training and support resources to help with early dispute resolution and prevention: The Working Together Series and the short Tale of Two Conversations videos. The Working Together Series is a five-module course designed to provide foundational strategies for working together with families to avoid and solve problems through conflict. The courses focus on listening and responding skills, managing and responding to emotions, focusing on interest to reach an agreement, and more. The Tale of Two Conversations videos are a two-part program that illustrates common pitfalls that can derail a meeting and techniques that can help foster stronger relationships with parents. Both resources have facilitator guides that can lead peers through professional development activities.
At times, educators and families will encounter communication challenges and difficulty resolving conflicts on their own and would benefit from additional support. Districts can offer a continuum of early dispute resolution services and use an impartial third party, such as a facilitator or mediator. IEP facilitation is a voluntary process in which a facilitator focuses on creating a collaborative environment, attends to conflicts as they arise, and works to keep the meeting flowing productively, thereby freeing the IEP team up to focus on developing the IEP. For more information on IEP facilitation, see CADRE’s publication Considering Facilitation: A School Administrator’s Perspective.
When a conflict becomes more complex, introducing an impartial third-party mediator to achieve early resolution is another avenue to build the capacity to help solve problems collaboratively. Mediation is cost-effective, both in time and money, and can be expedient. Furthermore, mediation has the added benefit of including those involved in the conflict in creating the solution, while keeping a focus on maintaining collaborative relationships. More information about mediation, including tips to help mediation work for your district, can be found in CADRE’s publication, Considering Mediation: A school Administrator’s Perspective.